RAINA WEBER, Executive Director, founded Project Native in the Fall of 2000 with the help of The Railroad Street Youth Project, The Nature Conservancy and other organizations. Weber was 19 and had dropped out of high school, but was fascinated by native plants. She saw the need for a native plant nursery, and has seen her idea take root, growing to inspire other individuals and groups in the area. "It's truly wonderful to be working with so many good and motivated people on such an important project," says Weber.
DAVID ELLIS, Operations Director
I graduated from Stockbridge School of Agriculture then continued my studies through the University Without Walls at UMass. I started my career as an arborist then shifted in the paper converting industry. I am a native of Massachusetts and moved to the Berkshires in 2000. I enjoy the outdoors and spending time studying and photographing it while hiking and canoeing. I am excited about joining the staff of Project Native and working to promote the mission of inspiring the stewardship of natural resources by cultivating native plants and restoring our local landscape.
KAREN LYNESS LEBLANC, Director of Sales & Marketing
After growing up on the North Shore of Massachusetts and attending four different college, I graduated in 2000 with B.A. in Environmental Education and Cultural Studies from Prescott College in Arizona. I joined the Project Native crew in March of 2005. In my free time I enjoy being outddoors, camping, reading, hiking and biking.
AMANDA SEWALL, Head Propagator & Seed Bank Manager. After the binding broke on Amanda's wildflower field guide, she thought to herself "maybe I should make this a career." With a background almost exclusively in health food retail, Amanda chose to retrain with Lillian Jackman of Wilder Hill Gardens in Shelburne Falls. Lillian proved to be an excellant teacher and with the confidence of an eight month internship behind her, Amanda pulled into Project Native at just the right time. Amanda is delighted to be at Project Native helping take care of her "native friends" while working to rebalance the beautiful community ecosystem."
TAMARA MOORE, Greenhouse Manager
I came to Berkshire County five years ago from Arizona for an Americorps position doing environmental education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Since then I have worked with a landscaping company, started the community garden at BSRCC, worked with children and in health care. I have a bachelor’s degree in education and have strived to work for small non-profit organizations. I’ve always been a lover of the outdoors and nature and am excited to be working with the native plants I’ve come to love.
NINA MARKS, Urban Community Garden Coordinator
I was born and raised in Great Barrington, MA; studied/practiced edible and organic landscaping, herbalism, food self-sufficiency and animal husbandry in Chicago, Mexico, Vermont, California and the Berkshires. I'm fluent in Spanish, have a B.A. in Art (Columbia College, 1990), M.A. in English (University of Chicago, 1994). I am an activist, writer, artist, musician and mom.
EMILY PASKUS, Farm Assistant
SARAH WESTWIND, Garden Shop
RECENT ALUMNI
DANIELLE "D" ADAMS enjoys getting dirty and working with people. She began working with Project Native in March of 2003. "It's fun to go on a walk in the area and be able to identify and see the plants we grow in the greenhouses growing in nature," says D, who also runs Project Native educational programs, "it's a great addition to my job because it connects me to the world, and spreads the wonder of gardening." D left Porject Native in July of 2006 to travel the country, spending time with family and friends along the way.
JAMIE GOLDENBERG, Greenhouse & Seed Bank (and Staff Photographer Extraordinaire)
I came to the Berkshires from Connecticut in 2001 to attend Simon's Rock College. Four years later, equipped with a B.A. in art, I started working at Project Native's Garden Shop. I immediately fell in love with the plants and the organization. So much so that I came back the following year to work in the greenhouse, stepping on slugs, checking out bugs, and oh, taking care of the plants.
AMY WONG, General Farm Assistant
I was born and raised in rural North Dakota. While growing up I helped my family prepare, plant, water, weed and harvest a very large organic vegetable garden every year. After living in California and traveling the country, I decided to put my roots down in the Berkshires in June of 2006. I immediately began working at a farm in Monterey, overseeing the greenhouses and general health of the garden. I joined Project Native in May of 2007 and am excited to be a part of this unique crew.
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